Route · ORD → SEA · 2020–2025 BTS data
Chicago to Seattle
According to PlainFlights' route traffic ranking (BTS On-Time Performance total flights), ORD to SEA (Chicago to Seattle) ranks #164 of 4927 tracked domestic routes by total flights (most flights = #1).
Data updated 2026-06-13
- 79.9%
- On-time
- +0.9 pts
- vs US avg
- 68 min
- Delay when late
- 27,916
- Flights
- #164 of 4927
- Corpus placement
Cancelled
1.0%
Best Month
Feb 2024 93%
Worst Month
Dec 2025 49%
Distance
1,721 mi
Carriers
13
Monthly Performance
Recent 24 months of route data.
| Period | Flights | Delayed | Cancelled | Diverted | Carriers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 2025 | 384 | 195 | 8 | 2 | DL,AS,AA,UA |
| Nov 2025 | 391 | 141 | 15 | 3 | UA,DL,AA,AS |
| Oct 2025 | 496 | 125 | 3 | 2 | AA,AS,UA,DL |
| Sep 2025 | 509 | 80 | 2 | 1 | UA,DL,AA,AS |
| Aug 2025 | 602 | 186 | 12 | 0 | AA,UA,AS,DL |
| Jul 2025 | 622 | 205 | 8 | 1 | AA,AS,DL,UA |
| Jun 2025 | 571 | 176 | 3 | 1 | AA,AS,DL,UA |
| May 2025 | 537 | 90 | 2 | 0 | AA,AS,UA,DL |
| Apr 2025 | 425 | 77 | 2 | 0 | DL,UA,AA,AS |
| Mar 2025 | 331 | 90 | 3 | 0 | AA,AS,UA,DL |
| Feb 2025 | 259 | 71 | 2 | 0 | AA,AS,UA,DL |
| Jan 2025 | 284 | 69 | 1 | 1 | AA,AS,UA,DL |
| Dec 2024 | 366 | 73 | 2 | 1 | AA,AS,DL,UA |
| Nov 2024 | 356 | 51 | 0 | 0 | UA,AS,DL,AA |
| Oct 2024 | 435 | 55 | 1 | 0 | UA,AS,DL,AA |
| Sep 2024 | 485 | 78 | 1 | 0 | UA,AA,AS,DL |
| Aug 2024 | 552 | 172 | 1 | 3 | AA,AS,DL,UA |
| Jul 2024 | 575 | 174 | 11 | 0 | AA,AS,DL,UA |
| Jun 2024 | 523 | 209 | 6 | 0 | AA,AS,DL,UA |
| May 2024 | 465 | 143 | 5 | 1 | AA,AS,DL,UA |
| Apr 2024 | 399 | 59 | 0 | 0 | AA,AS,DL,UA |
| Mar 2024 | 311 | 48 | 1 | 1 | AA,AS,DL,UA |
| Feb 2024 | 247 | 18 | 0 | 1 | AA,AS,DL,UA |
| Jan 2024 | 271 | 64 | 19 | 0 | AA,AS,DL,UA |
ORD–SEA seasonal on-time pattern
Best: September (86.0%) · weakest: June (73.3%)
Strongest calendar month
September
86.0% on-time · ~454 flights/mo
Busiest calendar month
August
~508 flights/mo avg
Weakest calendar month
June
73.3% on-time · ~443 flights/mo
Cancellation Rate
1.0%
108 of 10,396 flights
Diversion Rate
0.2%
18 of 10,396 flights
Explore origin & destination
On-time and delay data for the airports this route connects.
ORD - Chicago
Full on-time, delay-cause, and seasonal performance for Chicago, IL.
ORD on-time profileSEA - Seattle
Full on-time, delay-cause, and seasonal performance for Seattle, WA.
SEA on-time profileCompare the two airports
See ORD and SEA side by side on delays, cancellations, and reliability.
Compare ORD vs SEAOrigin-hub reliability standing
Mid-pack among ORD departures
From ORD, this corridor sits with 147 other 75–85% on-time routes out of 168 tracked departures, not the hub's reliability leaders (10 at ≥85%) and not the softest ( 11 below 75%). Destination: Seattle · fleet on-time rank #3196 of 4927.
Similar routes
Other BTS-tracked routes with comparable performance or trip length to ORD–SEA.
Routes with a similar on-time rate
What the Data Says About ORD to SEA
27,916 tracked flights put the ORD to SEA pairing (Chicago to Seattle) at a 79.9% on-time rate, squarely in line with the wider network. Delays that do occur run 67.8 minutes on average. Across the 1,721-mile route and its 13 carriers, the trailing 24 months show 1.0% cancelled and 0.2% diverted (10,396 flights sampled).
The monthly split is wide on this route: Feb 2024 posted the strongest performance at 93% on-time, while Dec 2025 came in at just 49% - a 44-point swing worth factoring into travel timing.
On the multi-year calendar, ORD–SEA peaks in September at 86.0% on-time while August carries the heaviest traffic (~508 flights per month) ; the softest month is June at 73.3%, a 12.7-point swing that repeats because the corridor's weather and holiday mix stays stable year to year.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where does ORD to SEA rank among US routes by traffic? ▼
How often are flights delayed from ORD to SEA? ▼
What is the cancellation rate for ORD to SEA? ▼
How far is the flight from ORD to SEA? ▼
When is the best time to fly from ORD to SEA? ▼
Airports on this route
Data source
Data Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), On-Time Performance Data. Statistics reflect cumulative performance across all available reporting periods.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
Using ORD–SEA data
ORD–SEA is mid-pack at 79.9% on-time; month and carrier mix move more than the corridor headline.
- Compare ORD and SEA airport profiles: delay causes and top routes differ even on the same corridor. ORD airport
- If your dates flex, September (86.0% on-time) beats June (73.3%) on this corridor. Seasonal chart
- 4 other routes post a similar 79.9% on-time rate; compare before you commit to this pairing. Similar routes
On-time rate reflects the BTS historical average across all reporting carriers on this origin–destination pair, not any single flight or booking recommendation.
Every figure on PlainFlights is rendered directly from BTS On-Time Performance data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page aggregates this specific route's on-time performance and monthly trend, live from the dataset. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.